14 DAY TRIAL // We’ve known for a while that Adobe was planning to kill off Flash Player at the end of 2020, and now that we’re literally only a few months away from this deadline, Microsoft is also taking the necessary steps to prepare for it.
As one of the world’s largest browser makers, Microsoft plans to begin the demise of Flash Player in its applications in December with Internet Explorer and the legacy version of Microsoft Edge.
Both browsers will no longer receive Flash Player security updates beginning with December, while in January, the software will be blocked in the Chromium-powered version of Edge too.
Getting ready to say goodbye to Flash
“An update titled “Update for Removal of Adobe Flash Player” will be made available via Microsoft Update Catalog, Windows Update and WSUS that permanently removes Adobe Flash Player as a component of the Windows OS devices,” Microsoft explains.
“If you wish to remove Adobe Flash Player from your systems ahead of the end of support, this will be available for download on the Microsoft Update Catalog in the Fall of 2020. The update will be made optional on Windows Update and WSUS in early 2021 and will be made recommended a few months later. It should be noted that this update will be permanent and cannot be un-installed.”
Nothing will change until December, so Flash Player will continue to be patched with new security updates in all Microsoft browsers, just like before. And of course, Microsoft recommends everyone to deploy these patches as soon as possible, especially since the likelihood of exploits is increasing now that we are approaching the end of Flash.
Needless to say, updating to the Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge should also guarantee new security updates going forward regardless of the Windows version you are running.